One Last Time
by thatwitchyotaku
Summary: This is the direct sequel to Uncharted Waters, taking place during the events of the fourth installment of the Uncharted franchise, "A Thief's End". Valerie is now a capable and experienced treasure hunter. At first hired as the lead historian and Captain Avery expert by her employer, she quickly joins Nate when she realizes they're after the same treasure.


Valerie sat alone at the bar sipping on her rum and coke, her eyes wandering the crowded room, hoping that no one was watching her. The Rossi Estate was booming with activity that evening, the ballroom filled with millionaires anxious to bid on stolen artifacts. Everyone was dressed so exquisitely and carried themselves so eloquently and with such sophistication, yet Valerie had the eerie suspicion that these aristocrats had murdered many people to get where they were in life. She felt so out of place among these people, and she found herself becoming more uncomfortable and more withdrawn with every man and occasional woman that approached her and offered to buy her a drink.

 _It's my own fault for wearing this ridiculous dress. What was I thinking?_ She scolded herself; it was so unlike her to dress so extravagantly. Her beauty was unparalleled by any woman that could have walked into the room. The dress was a navy blue high-low made of lace, with a modified sweet heart neckline, long sleeves, and a deep, plunging back, the dimples on her lower back completely visible. All over the room, Valerie could feel eyes on her, either with envy or desire, and it was unbearable. She nervously tousled her hair and brushed it to one side, while staring intently down at her drink to avoid making eye contact with anyone.

"Hi. How are you?" a man's voice came from behind her. She turned to see one of the servers smiling kindly down at her. She gave him a small smile.

"C'mon, man. Shouldn't you be working instead of trying to spit game at lonely bar flies?" she asked, taking another sip of her drink. He continued to smile as he leaned against the counter next to her.

"Meh. It's kind of my last day on the job. I'd much rather spend it talking to the most beautiful woman in Italy than waiting on a bunch of rich, white-collar criminals."

"Right. What am I, like the tenth girl you've tried that on tonight?" she asked with a small laugh, keeping calm on the outside, though there was nothing she could do to hide the soft pink color in her cheeks, and the longer his gaze remained on her, the more intense the burning sensation in her cheeks became.

"Hey, 'can't blame a guy for tryin'. You have a lovely evening," he said, his smile never leaving his face as he walked past her. He then stopped on the other side of her and did a quarter turn so he was partly facing her. "And for the record, I've been saving that one just for you all night." Valerie couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh, don't I feel special," she said sarcastically before adding a more genuine "Thank you." Once she was sure he wasn't around her anymore, she fanned herself with one hand while mouthing the words "Oh, my God."

"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" A familiar voice suddenly came from behind her. Stunned, Valerie quickly spun around in her seat and excitedly threw her arms around the man.

"I can't believe you're here! It's so great to see you," Valerie said to Victor, lingering in his embrace for a few more moments. She hadn't seen him in years, and was so happy to see a familiar face that she just didn't want to let go.

"It's great to see you, kid," he answered with a smile on his face. "And, might I say, you look simply stunning tonight, Valerie," he added, charming as always. Valerie felt a slight tingling sensation in her cheeks as the blood burned in them, turning her cheeks a soft pink, and she found herself playing with her hair and looking at the floor bashfully as she spoke.

"That's so sweet of you to say. I feel a bit overdressed, but the only other dress I own is my wedding gown, and that would just be ridiculous," she said with an awkward laugh, immediately wanting to shoot herself in the foot for bringing up the painful memory of the wedding dress she never got to wear. Due to the painfully uncomfortable expression on Sully's face, Valerie quickly apologized, attempting to lighten the mood. "Sorry. I'm not so great with social situations, but what else is new, right?" she asked with an awkward laugh.

"You know, I'm curious to know just that. What are you doing here? This kind of event isn't really your style," Sully answered. Valerie shrugged.

"Hey, c'mon! I'm still young; I'm in my prime. I never really left the game, you know. I'm being paid a lot of money to be here, and I've got bills and student loans to pay, you know," she explained before finishing the last of her drink.

"Let me buy you another. Rum and coke, right?" Sully asked her. Valerie smiled and nodded.

"You know me so well. I hope you're not trying to take me home tonight," she joked playfully.

"Well, could you blame me if I were?" he joked as he flagged down the bartender and ordered Valerie's drink, and a scotch on the rocks for himself. "So, tell me," he said with a stern voice, "Why are you really here, Valerie? I hope to God you're not getting involved in something you can't handle," he said sincerely.

"Oh, come on. Have you ever known me to get in over my head?" Valerie asked sarcastically. Sully raised an eye brow at her and waited for her to continue. The smile then vanished from her face as she realized how serious he was, and Valerie bit her lip and collected her thoughts before she answered him. She leaned in closer to him and spoke in a hushed tone.

"Okay. I admit I'm working a pretty big job that I'm really excited about," she began, trying to contain her enthusiasm as best as she could. "My boss hired me as sort of an historian. I won't bore you with the details, but there's a cross going up for auction tonight that he is dead set on getting his hands on, and-"

"Oh, Christ, Valerie, tell me that's a joke," Sully interrupted her with a look of absolute disdain, like a disappointed father.

"Oh, my God. Are you here for the Saint Dismas Cross too?" she asked him point-blank, barely above a whisper. His silence was answer enough. Valerie gave him a slap on the shoulder with an ear-to-ear smile on her face, unable to contain her excitement. "Well, this is great!"

"How so?" he asked her, still raising an inquisitive eyebrow at her.

"Are you kidding? I fucking _hate_ my boss. God, I just want to throat-punch him every time he opens his mouth! I'd much rather work with you. If you'll have me, that is. Are you working with anyone else?" she asked him with puppy-dog eyes. Again, his awkward silence was all she needed. There was only one man Valerie knew with the expertise for the job and that had Sully's trust. " _Nate?_ " she asked, though she already knew the answer.

"You got me," Sully finally answered, throwing up his hands, no longer attempting to hide it.

"Oh, my God, this is incredible! The gang is all here! Well, don't be rude; tell him I said hello, already. I know you're wearing an ear piece," she said with a smile.

"Did ya get that, Nate?" Sully asked, also with a smile. Valerie was absolutely bursting inside; she hadn't been so happy in so long; she actually couldn't remember the last time. Her smile suddenly vanished when she spotted her bosses among the crowd as they headed directly towards her. She felt the panic rising in her as they approached, while Sully was still casually speaking to Nate. She then pretended to laugh as if Sully had said something interesting and grabbed his arm firmly.

"Shut up, my bosses are headed this way," she warned him through her smile as she waved at Rafe and Nadine.

"Oh, God, Valerie, you really know how to pick 'em," Sully said sarcastically.

"Eat my ass, old man. I'd pick you and Nate every time." she said, still maintaining her fake smile.

"Valerie! We've been looking all over the place for you," Rafe said to her, holding his arms out for a hug. Valerie very begrudgingly indulged him with a hug.

"Oh, you know, I never like to be too far away from the alcohol when it's an open bar," she joked, throwing back the rest of her rum and coke, in desperate need of inebriation if she was ever to successfully hold a conversation with Rafe without wanting to hit him. Rafe's attention then turned to Sully.

"Victor, I hope you're not trying to seduce my employee," he joked. Valerie just wanted to fly out of her seat and hit him. No matter how civil and courteous he was, she could see right through his bullshit.

"Oh, no. Just a couple of old friends catching up," Sully replied. Rafe seemed genuinely surprised.

"Oh? How do you two know each other? I didn't realize you were previously in this line of work, Valerie," he said, his eyes narrowing as he looked at her.

"Hey, you didn't ask. You hired me for my scholarly qualifications. I didn't think it was important to mention my treasure hunting past because I'm really not a treasure hunter. I just- happened to stumble upon my previous adventures, okay? It's no big deal," she explained, looking down at the floor while twiddling her thumbs nervously.

"No big deal? That hurts, Valerie, it really does," Sully said playfully, though Valerie shot him the iciest death glare she could manage. The last thing she wanted was for Rafe and Nadine thinking she purposely withheld information for any reason other than the fact that she simply didn't think it was important. She didn't need them questioning her intentions or God forbid her loyalty just yet.

"Well, I suppose it's a small world," Rafe said as if it wasn't much of a surprise that Sully and Valerie knew each other after all, though Valerie had the suspicion that the gears were turning in his head, the seeds of mistrust slowly growing. "In any case, it's amazing- all this time has gone by, and here we are still haggling for a bunch of dead people's junk," Rafe said with a laugh.

"Really? Aren't you running your parents' business?" Sully asked.

"My business now," Rafe curtly corrected him. "But yes, that is my day job."

"Well, that is one helluva day job. You could probably afford to buy up everything on the block tonight."

"Yeah, but what would be the point in that? These days I'm only looking for the good stuff- big scores. Any advice on what I should bid on tonight?" Rafe asked. Valerie bit her lip to keep herself from smiling, and possibly even laughing. It was obvious to both Valerie and Nadine that these men disliked each other. The whole exchange was reminiscent of two petty high school girls that did all their fighting in secret through snarky, condescending comments.

"Yeah, right," Sully chuckled. "Like I would want to bid against him," he said, turning to Nadine. "But, between you and me, I did notice they changed the order. I think somebody might be trying to rig this auction," Sully warned him. Of course, they all knew it had been Rafe who had payed to have the cross moved up in the auction line up.

"Well, you know where you are. The people in this room didn't become rich by playing fair," Rafe said with a smug grin.

"Which is why you really need someone to watch your back in a place like this," Nadine added to the conversation, putting an arm around Rafe's shoulder.

"Well, talk about a power couple," Sully exclaimed. Just then, the lights dimmed, and a woman announced that auctioning would shortly begin on the next item- the Saint Dismas cross. "Well, I can tell when I'm overstepping my welcome. You kids have fun tonight," Sully said, and began to walk away when Rafe aggressively grabbed Sully's arm and stopped him.

"Just hold on a sec, Sullivan. How the hell did you find out about it?" Rafe demanded.

"It? What 'it' are you talking about? Nadine, I think your partner has had one too many Bloody Marys-"

"Cut the bullshit, old man," Rafe interrupted him as he slapped the drink out of Sully's hand, glass and top-shelf scotch littering the floor. Everyone's eyes were on the four of them now, watching intently. "Now, I don't know how you scammed your way in here," Rafe began, getting in Sully face, "but if you even think about bidding on Avery's cross, I can tell you exactly how you're going to be leaving- in a goddamn body bag-"

"Rafe!" Nadine stopped him. Rafe looked around and suddenly became aware that all eyes were on him at the moment. He let out a small laugh.

"Well, you get my point," he said to Sully. "It was great seeing you again," he said before walking away with Nadine. Valerie lingered behind.

"What a dick. Listen, I have to go with them for now, but there's no way I'm going to compete with you and Nate for Avery's treasure. You guys are family. Will you cut me in for old times' sake? I don't need a big cut- just enough to pay off my student loans and rent for a few years until I find my next score." Sully hesitated while he appeared to be listening to something on the other end of his ear piece. Valerie assumed it was Nate giving his input on the situation.

"Okay, listen," Sully finally said urgently in a hushed tone, "the lights are going to go out for a few seconds, and that's when my guy will make his move and steal the cross. After that, we're getting the hell outta here. I'm in charge of the getaway. The rendezvous point is in the courtyard. Get there as quick as you can, because we won't be able to wait for you for very long," he explained. Valerie nodded quickly, a smile spread wide across her face.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! You won't regret this Sully; I could kiss you right now if it wouldn't look suspicious to Rafe," she said, miserably failing to control her excitement. Sully chuckled.

"I'll just have to redeem that later. Now, get outta here, kid." Valerie nodded with a smile and left to join Rafe and Nadine, gliding gracefully across the ballroom floor, her high-low dress catching wind and flowing behind her with every step she took. She reached Rafe and Nadine just as he was placing his first bid on the cross. Valerie looked around nervously when nothing had happened as the auctioneer began making her last call for bids on the cross when suddenly another bid came through. Everyone's attention turned to Sully, holding up his paddle, looking like he'd rather be dead than be in the room making that bid. Valerie stood back and watched uncomfortably as an intense bidding war ensued, until the bid had reach 210,000 dollars.

"Five-hundred thousand!" Rafe suddenly called. "Let's get this show on the road."

 _Amazing,_ Valerie thought to herself. _He has half a million to throw down on a wooden cross, and I still wouldn't hit that._ Everyone was now looking at Sully, waiting to see if he dared outbid Rafe again. He chuckled and threw up his hands, admitting defeat.

"You had me worried, there, Victor. I thought I might have to kill ya," Rafe said with a laugh, and the room echoed with awkward laughter from everyone in the room.

 _These poor people don't know how serious Rafe is,_ Valerie thought to herself.

"Are there any other bids?" the auctioneer asked. "We are going once, going twice. Then, I shall sell it for five hundred thousand-" the lights suddenly cut out, and it became so dark that Valerie couldn't see her own hand an inch in front of her face. Moments later, the backup generator dimly lit the room. Both the cross and Sully were gone. Rafe looked around the room frantically and saw Sully leaving the room through a door.

"Hey- move it! Get out of the way! Stop that guy!" Rafe shouted at the top of his voice, pushing people aside as he chased after Sully. "What are you doing? You're letting him get away!" A security guard pulled a shot gun on Rafe when he got too close, at which point Rafe calmed down and back away slowly.

"God, I knew we should have stolen that cross before it made it to this auction," Nadine said, arms crossed and shaking her head.

"Yeah, imagine how much more of a dick he's going to be now," Valerie griped. "I think I'm gonna go get some fresh air outside. Ya know- enjoy our last few moments of peace," she said as she began to walk away. Nadine then grabbed her wrist and gave a gentle tug.

"What, like they're going to let anyone leave right now? Don't be ridiculous," Nadine said. Her attention then briefly turned to something behind Valerie. Valerie quickly turned around, following Nadine's gaze. She was definitely staring out the window, but Valerie saw nothing there. "Come on, they're guarding the exits leading outside, but not any other doorways. Follow me," Nadine explained as she pulled Valerie behind her before she could protest.

"Whoa, where are we going?" Valerie asked, feeling a bit panicked, not knowing exactly how much time she had to meet Sully in the courtyard.

"I have a hunch we'll find our thief in the library room upstairs," She said as she dragged Valerie through a door way and up a winding staircase. Valerie's heart dropped into her stomach, and she frantically racked her brain for any way she could keep Nadine from continuing.

"Oh, c'mon, Nadine. You don't have to make up these crazy stories to get me alone in a room with you. Besides- the library, really? What, are we in high school?" she said with a laugh.

"Don't flatter yourself, darling. Now, get serious. This is it," she said as she reached for the door to open it. Just then the door knob turned from the other side before it flew open. Though Valerie maintained a straight face, which was no small task, she was internally face-palming as she and Nadine stood face to face with Nathan Drake.

"You're not supposed to be back here," Nadine said calmly.

"Well, neither are you. But, I tell you what- I won't tell anyone if you don't," he said as he attempted to step around her. She put up her arm and firmly held it against the door frame, blocking him from going further.

"You have something I want, and you're going to give it to me."

"Really? Well, I'm flattered, but I'm afraid I'm already spoken for," he said as he flashed her his wedding band. Valerie couldn't keep herself from burying her face in the palm of her hand.

 _Messing with the way wrong girl, Nate,_ she thought to herself. Nate tried once again to step around her when she grabbed and twisted his wrist, then thrusted the heel of her palm upward against his nose, knocking him to the ground.

"I'm not in the mood for games," Nadine warned him as she stepped into the room, Valerie following behind, and shut the door behind them. "Give me the crucifix," she demanded as she slipped out of her heels.

"Lady, you're lucky I'm a gentleman, because if I weren't I would-" Nadine interrupted him with a powerful kick that sent him tumbling into a nearby bookshelf before he fell to the floor again.

"You'd what?" she demanded, calling his bluff. She knew fully well that she could handle Nate in a fist fight, and so did Valerie. As they squared off and prepared to fight, Valerie panicked and slipped off one of her heels and threw it, hitting Nadine in the back of the head. She didn't waver, but she slowly turned her head to look at Valerie with intense ferocity in her eyes. Nate raised an eyebrow at her.

"A shoe? You threw a shoe?" he asked in disbelief.

"I didn't know what to do! Don't act like you've never done anything that stupid," she defended herself, pointing a finger at him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Nadine asked in a menacingly calm voice, turning her full attention to Valerie, who began taking out her dangling earrings and slipping out of her other heel.

"Let him go, Nadine," Valerie warned her. "I'm sorry it has to be this way. I actually didn't mind you. Under different circumstances, we could have worked beautifully together."

"You can't be serious," Nadine said with a laugh. "And what circumstances might those be?" she asked out of curiosity.

"If I didn't hate my boss's guts, and if the competition wasn't family to me," she said as she held up two fists, preparing to fight. "C'mon, Nadine. It's you against one and a half," she said, referring to Nate as _the half_. "Don't make this any harder than it has to be," she said sincerely. Nadine looked at the two of them, sizing them up, and then she scoffed at the idea that they could possibly be a match for her. Nate reached a hand out to her, likely to put it on her shoulder and convince Nadine that she had already lost. Nadine then grabbed him by the arm and swung him around, throwing him out a nearby window; shattered glass littered the floor.

"Nate!" Valerie rushed to the window, pushing Nadine aside and sticking her entire torso out the open window.

"I'm okay!" Nate called up to her from the story below them. He had grabbed onto a decorative tapestry hanging outside just in time and was already swinging to safety. Valerie smiled and let out a sigh of relief. She then heard movement behind her. Valerie turned her head slightly and out of her peripheral vision could see Nadine charging towards her, a powerful fist drawn back ready to deliver an attack strong enough to knock an unsuspecting Valerie out the window. She was just barely able to spin out of the way, dodging Nadine completely. Valerie then lifted her leg and brought it down with all her might, aiming for Nadine's neck as she was still lunging forward toward the window and vulnerable. Nadine sloppily pushed off the ground, sidestepping Valerie, letting herself tumble clumsily to the floor just to avoid Valerie's attack.

Valerie wasted no time in charging towards Nadine, who quickly sprang to her feet, ready to fight. Both women threw a punch with their dominant hands, using their free hands to catch the fist of the other. They held each other in that pose, both struggling for power over the other, glaring at each other fiercely. This was a struggle Valerie knew she would lose if it continued. Valerie was faster, but Nadine was stronger by far. Not only that, but the longer she struggled with Nadine, the smaller her window of time became. Valerie then pushed away from Nadine and swiftly drew the gold-plated handgun that had been holstered on her upper thigh, stopping Nadine mid-step.

"How did you get that by security?" Nadine asked out of honest curiosity, her eyes wandering down and focusing on Valerie's groin region.

"Oh, my God, inside the lining of my purse, you freak. Once we got in, I went to the bathroom and holstered it," Valerie answered, disgusted by the idea of shoving _anything_ inside her body. "I ruined a perfectly good Kate Spade bag, but it was worth it. You may have taught me everything you know- thanks, by the way- but you didn't teach me everything _I_ know. I'm sorry it has to be this way," Valerie said sincerely before firing a single shot into Nadine's right foot. Nadine cried out in pain and hobbled forward for a few steps before stumbling to the floor. Valerie quickly left the room, leaving her shoes behind, and shut the door behind her. She turned her attention to the ballroom below, which had erupted with gunfire, where several security guards were now shooting at Nate. Suddenly, the doors flew open behind Valerie, and she spun around to see an infuriated Nadine stomping towards her.

"What are you!?" Valerie asked in shock, unable to believe that Nadine was able to walk with a bullet in her foot. Valerie tried to draw her gun, but she wasn't fast enough. Without a word, Nadine gave her one powerful kick to the chest, sending Valerie over the railing. Valerie had no time to react; all she could do was hold her breath and brace for impact, thankfully the drop wasn't life-threatening. She landed with a loud _crash_ on a buffet table, breaking it in half upon impact.

"Son of a bitch," she groaned in pain as she slowly got up from the floor and rubbed her lower back. She looked up to the second floor, her gun drawn, but Nadine was already gone.

"It's about damn time!" Nate shouted above the gunfire.

"Relax. I'm fashionably late. I'm fine, by the way; thanks for asking, asshole," Valerie said as she took cover behind a large pillar while Nate hid behind the pillar next to her.

"Are you always getting shot at?" another familiar voice shouted, though Valerie was having trouble remembering where she had heard it.

"They're shooting at you, too, you know!" Nate answered. "Oh, Valerie, this is Sam. Sam, Valerie," Nate added as an afterthought. The man standing next to Nate turned and then did a double take.

"You!" both he and Valerie exclaimed in unison. The man was the server from before that had talked to Valerie.

"Did I miss something? When did you two meet?" Nate asked, looking from Sam to Valerie and back again in confusion. "Oh, no," he then groaned. "Tell me she's not the brunette you struck out with earlier," he said to Sam.

"Can this wait? We've got more important things to worry about," Valerie said as gunfire continued to echo around the room. Without waiting for an answer, she took the lead by stepping out from behind her pillar and advancing forward, staying low to the ground until she was positioned behind a tall, wooden podium. She very calmly took out three security guards before she heard the sound of a bullet behind her. Startled, she turned around to see a man with a shotgun collapsing lifeless to the floor only a few feet away from her.

"You're welcome!" Nate called to her. She gave him a smile and a wave before she grabbed the man's shotgun and recklessly rushed more security guards, dodging bullets and blowing them away with her shotgun when she was in range. She moved with ease and grace through the room; her muscles remembered exactly what to do and how to move. As she reached the exit on the other side of the room, she peeked outside the door to get a view of the courtyard that was now swarming with guards.

"There's got to be at least twenty, maybe thirty guards out there. I can take one twenty if you two can handle ten guys by yourselves," Valerie playfully joked.

"Smart ass. Just don't get yourself shot," Nate said as he gave her a pet on the head as if she were a dog, or a little girl before he and Sam stepped through the doors. Valerie rolled her eyes before following after them.

"You know, you're going to feel like shit for that if I actually get shot," Valerie said as she took cover behind a gaudy statue. They fought off the guards until they could hear the awful sound of car tires screeching as a black car sped into the courtyard and came to an abrupt stop.

"That's our ride! Let's get the Hell outta here!" Sam yelled as he made a mad dash for the getaway car. Nate and Valerie followed behind him, still firing their guns and dodging bullets as best as they could. Valerie winced as she felt one graze her left shoulder. She was the next one in the car after Sam, and Nate slammed the door shut behind him.

"Hang on!" Sully warned them as he peeled out of the courtyard and gunned the gas pedal, smashing through the iron gate. As soon as Valerie knew they were safe and in the clear, she couldn't help but laugh. Whether it was excitement, nerves, or embarrassment, she wasn't entirely sure.

"That was insane! It's like old times again," she said, beaming with joy. "God, it's been a while since I've been shot at; I forgot how much it actually hurts. _Your_ fault, by the way," Valerie said, punching Nate in the shoulder.

"Hey, you knew what you were getting into when you got involved with me again. It comes with the territory," Nate said as he playfully tousled her hair.

"Have I ever told you how much I hate it when you do that?" Valerie asked, completely unamused.

"Of course. That's why I do it," Nate said with a laugh.

"You two are ridiculous. You tease each other like five-year-old siblings," Sully chastised them from the front seat.

"And you sound like a dad who's five seconds away from turning the car around, old man," Valerie said as she leaned forward and gently wrapped her arms around Sully's chest from behind, giving him a light hug. "I missed you guys so much," she sighed before sitting back in her seat. "And, I don't know you, but any friend of Nate's is a friend of mine," she said to Sam as she awkwardly avoided direct eye contact with him, brushing her long, black hair to one side to hide her face from him. "So, how do you two know each other?" she asked. There was an awkward silence where the three men exchanged uncomfortable glances. "What?" Valerie asked with a laugh. "Is he, like, an old prison wife of yours, Nate? Does Elena know about him?" Her laughter slowly subsided when she realized no one else was laughing with her. "Seriously, what's going on, guys?"

"Look, he's not an old prison wife, and no, Elena doesn't know about him or any of this," Nate answered. Valerie's eyes widened with shock.

"Nate, are you fucking kidding me?" Valerie said, flicking him on the forehead. "Elena doesn't know you're here? Are you crazy? She's your wife! What were you thinking? What if you had died? What were you thinking? And shame on _you_ for enabling him," Valerie said, slapping Sully in the shoulder.

"Okay, can we not do _this?_ I've thought about all of that, but this is a lot bigger than you know," Nate said to her.

"So, tell me then," Valerie said firmly as the car then came to a stop outside of a hotel.

"This is where we're staying. Why don't we continue this conversation upstairs?" Sully suggested.

"Good idea. Anyone against me stopping at the bar in the lobby first?" Nate asked as he stepped out of the car.

"Nope. I'll join you. I could really use a drink right now," Valerie said as she followed behind him. The four of them silently walked up to the hotel and entered through the elegant glass doors. What first seemed like a happy family reunion had slowly evolved into a travesty, like an awkward Thanksgiving where the estranged family can barely make it through dinner without arguing. Valerie was realizing that no matter how well she thought she knew Nate, he was still a mystery to her. She was afraid of what he might have to say; if it was too big to tell Elena, his other half, she could only imagine what it must be. As they approached their hotel room, drinks in hand, Valerie took a deep breath, not entirely sure if she was ready to hear Nate's story. Still, there was no turning back for her now. Valerie was committed to seeing this endeavor through, and she was committed to her family, for better or for worse. Expecting no less than the worst from Nate, Valerie swallowed the rest of her drink to prepare herself.


End file.
